The Firebird
by AspiringAuthor13
Summary: Ava Livingston seems like the average new girl at Midtown High: shy, nice and immediately picked up by Liz Allan, but as Peter Parker and his friends learn more about her, our Friendly Neighbourhood Wall-crawler suspects that there might be something more to the blonde than meets the eye. Peter ParkerxOC, rated T just in case, a mix of Ultimate, Spectacular and Amazing Spider-man.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello and welcome! This is my second fanfiction and first Spider-man fanfic. As it said in the plot summary, it's a mix of all of the versions of Spider-man that I have seen plus my own spin on the characters. The length of the chapters will probably range from 1,000 to 3,000 words. Please tell me if you want any shorter on longer chapters and I'll do my best. Apologies, by the way, for any spelling mistakes. I am English so some things are spelt differently (i.e. grey = gray).**

 **Update: I have got a lot of hate for this story, so if you want to review, keep it polite and constructive. Also, this is a PETER PARKER X OC FANFIC. Please don't read it if you ship Peter with Gwen or Mary Jane!**

 **To anyone who isn't going to hate, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Spider-man world or the Marvel universe. I only own my OCs.**

 **Chapter 1: Meeting Ava Livingston**

Peter walked to the steps of Midtown High as he did every other morning. The sun was shining, teenagers were chatting and the constant sound of cars whizzing by made him feel safe. Of course, there were plenty of reasons for Peter Parker to _not_ be secure at Midtown, the first being the confident jock Flash Thompson, who gained pleasure from giving others hell. Another being Thompson's friends, who enjoyed tagging along when he decided to ridicule the less popular of Midtown High's population.

What Peter did not expect when walking through the main doors of the institute was a stunning girl with dark blonde hair and stormy grey eyes being led around by the principal. She glanced at him before realizing he was watching and staring at the floor. Peter flushed slightly, hoping he wasn't being perceived by the girl as creepy due to his obvious staring. He turned and, fortunately, was greeted by the sight of his best friends, Gwen Stacy and Harry Osborn. They grinned at him as he approached.

"Hey, Pete. How was your weekend?" Harry asked, running a pale hand through his reddish brown hair.

"It was... Uneventful," Peter lied as he thought of the rapid crime fighting he had done over the two days.

"It couldn't have been as bad as mine! I had to have dinner my Dad and some of his business associates, which basically meant disgusting cuisine and a continuous conversation about profits," Harry complained, "What did you do, Gwen?"

"Homework mainly. My cousin's birthday was on Saturday, so I had to go, but, that aside, I didn't do much," Gwen admitted.

Before either of the boys could respond, they heard a booming voice from the end of the hallway.

"Well if it isn't Puny Parker!" Flash laughed.

"Oh, great," Peter muttered.

Thompson shoved him into the wall of lockers. Harry bit his lip but said nothing.

"Get off him, Flash," Gwen growled.

"Why should I, pipsqueak?" came a mocking reply.

"Because the principal just turned the corner," she replied simply.

The bully immediately recoiled and Peter keeled over. After searching both ends if the hallway and realizing the trick, Flash snarled.

"This isn't over!" he warned, before storming off with his posse quick on his tail.

Harry, Gwen and Peter shared a snicker at the blonde's stupidity before making their way to class. As the English teacher, Mr Blackwell, was taking the register, the principal entered, the girl from that morning standing behind him.

"Good morning class, Mr Blackwell. This is Ava Livingston, she just moved here from Washington DC," the principal announced.

"Nice to meet you, my dear," Mr Blackwell greeted, shaking her hand, "There's a seat available over there, next to Liz, if you'd like."

Liz Allan waved excitedly and Ava hurried over, her flawless cheeks tinged pink from embarrassment. Peter, who sat quite close to the popular girl, eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Hi, I'm Liz Allan!"

"Ava Livingston," the new girl whispered.

"I have some friends you could sit with at lunch if you'd like," Liz offered, flipping her light blonde hair away from her face.

"Actually, I-"

"Great! It's settled then," Liz smiled.

Ava couldn't say another word as Allan immediately began concentrating on taking notes. The new girl sighed and did the same. After class, the two girls compared timetables and Liz pouted when she realized they didn't share the next class, or indeed one at all until right before lunch. The popular girl left in a rush to attend her next class, and meet up with Flash, her boyfriend, leaving Ava looking desperately lost.

Peter took this opportunity to approach, or would have if Harry hadn't blocked his path.

"Hey, Pete, where are you going? Chemistry's this way," he chuckled.

"I know, I was just..." Peter replied before seeing the new girl walk off with someone else, "Never mind."

By lunch, Peter had yet to see the girl again. He grabbed his homemade lunch and seated himself at a table, alone. Harry was late and Gwen was at a club. As he unwrapped his sandwich, he spotted Ava enter, looking highly uncomfortable as she was flocked by a clique of popular kids, Liz at her side. They sat down at a large round table and began gossiping and chatting.

Ava continued to look desperate until she was finally able to make her escape, excusing her to the bathroom. Liz offered to go with her but the new girl made it painfully obvious that she wanted to be alone. Peter watched her leave before turning his attention at his approaching friend.

"Peter! Hey, where's Gwen?" Harry frowned.

"At science club, I'm guessing," Peter murmured.

"Right. Why don't you go to that again?" Harry questioned.

"I don't know... Clubs aren't really my thing. Maybe I'll give it a try," Parker sighed.

"There's a photography club as well, you know," Harry added. Peter merely nodded to this, "Ok, what's going on?"

"What?"

"You have been out of it since first thing this morning," his best friend accused.

"Have I?" Peter responded vaguely, slowly munching on his lunch.

"What is going on with you, dude?" Harry laughed.

"Ok, don't tell anyone but, well, have you seen that new girl, Ava Livingston?"

"... _Oh,"_ Harry smirked.

"Actually, never mind," Peter refused quickly.

"No, no. It's ok. You like Livingston? Wow, aiming a bit high there, Parker," Harry chuckled as Peter glowered.

"I don't know, it's stupid. She's hanging out with Liz Allan now anyway, so I don't stand a chance," Peter huffed.

"Oh, speak of the devil. Why the hell is Miss Allan marching her way over here?"

Peter turned to see that Harry was right. Liz Allan was torpedoing her way across the cafeteria with a furious expression, alone.

"Parker, what did you do?" she seethed.

"What?!"

"Ava asks about you and suddenly I get a text that she's," the popular girl said before lowering her voice to a mere whisper, "at a science club."

Peter's eyes widened at this.

"How would I have anything to do with that? I haven't even spoken to her!" he denied honestly.

" _I_ certainly didn't tell her about it!" Liz snapped.

"Well you did spend two classes away from each other," Harry reasoned. Both Liz and Peter glared at him, causing him to continue eating in silence.

"Harry's right, though. Anyone in those lessons could've convinced her, or maybe she just _likes_ it," Peter suggested.

"That's impossible. No one like _her_ would ever want to do something like _that,"_ Liz snorted.

"Um, Gwen Stacy?"

Liz narrowed her eyes and swivelled around, returning to her own table. Harry glimpsed at Peter expectantly and after a few moments, the teenager complied.

"I think I'm going to go and check on Gwen," he announced, making Harry chuckle again.

"Whatever you say, Parker."

Peter grinned and stood up, dumping his leftovers in the garbage can and darting into the hallway. When he finally reached the science labs, the teacher greeted him enthusiastically, rambling on about how great an opportunity it was for him. Peter listened patiently, and, when the teacher was finished, hurried over to Gwen.

"Hey, Gwen, have you met the new girl yet?" he queried.

"You mean Ava? Yeah! She's really nice, but kind of shy. I don't know _why_ Liz Allan has taken in an interest in her," Gwen ranted.

"Gwen, where are the Bunsens?" Ava asked, walking over with a clipboard in her hand.

"In the cupboard on the left," Gwen answered. Peter gestured to Ava, who had yet to notice him, and silently motioned to Gwen, "Oh! Ava Livingston, this is Peter Parker. Peter, Ava."

Finally looking up, Ava turned her wide, steel-grey eyes to the boy and smiled shyly. She reached out a shaky hand, which he took gently.

"Hi. Gwen told me about you in Physics," she mumbled, her cheeks burning.

"Hey," Peter greeted, his face equally as red.

"Pete, do you mind helping us with this project?" Gwen interrupted, sensing the awkwardness, "It's pretty simple but if you want to join the club, it's a good introduction."

"Sure," Peter agreed, sighing with relief.

At the end of lunch, Ava and Peter had barely spoke, mainly conversing with Gwen and blushing at the mention of the other's name.

"So, Pete. If you're joining clubs now, are you also planning to join photography club. I heard they've wanted you since you bought a camera," Gwen sung invitingly.

"I might, but I don't know. I only really came _here_ because-"

"I know why you're here, Peter," Gwen sighed.

"Do you think she likes me?" Peter questioned hopefully.

"She's shy. It's hard to tell, but I think you've definitely got a chance," she assured.

After the school day ended, Peter and Gwen headed to the bus, waving goodbye to Harry. They caught sight of Ava politely declining an invite to hang out at a local café with Liz and made their way over as the popular group dissipated.

"Hey, Ava! Are you taking the bus?" Gwen enquired.

"No, I live quite close. I was planning to walk," Ava replied, ruffling her dark golden locks as she shook her head.

"Near the subway station," Ava directed vaguely, "I live with my grandmother and dog."

"Where're your parents?" Gwen interrogated.

Ava was suddenly considerably silent. Her head dropped and her pacing slowed. Her eyes became stormy and she gripped her bag slightly tighter.

"I'm pretty sure this is your stop," she muttered.

Only then did Gwen and Peter notice that right in front of them was the bus stop. Ava rushed past them and around a corner. Gwen groaned.

"I... Shouldn't have asked."

"Probably not," Peter murmured.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Pete," Gwen said sarcastically.

"I wonder what happened to her parents, though," Peter whispered.

"Grandma! I'm home," Ava called into the quiet apartment.

Ichigo, the Maltese dog, bounded up to her with a wagging tail. Her soft white fur and contrasting black eyes and nose made her, in Ava's opinion, the cutest dog in the world.

"Ava, my dear! I'm in here," Ava heard a weak voice reply.

"Hey Grandma," she breathed as she hugged the older woman.

"How was school? I want to hear all about it. Did you make any new friends?"

"Well, a girl named Liz offered to let me sit with her at lunch. She's very popular but doesn't seem particularly thoughtful. I spent a bit of lunch with her and her friends before I went to the science club with a girl named Gwen. She's nice and incredibly smart. She has a friend named Peter, but he could equally be her boyfriend. I didn't ask," Ava explained, "Liz invited me to hang out after school, but I walked home with Peter and Gwen instead. They took the bus."

"Sounds exciting! Honey, I just want you to know that I am so proud of you, moving from Washington by yourself and getting started with your school with practically no help. I'm sorry I haven't been able to aid you much," Mrs Livingston apologized.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry that I had to invade on your life like this."

"Nonsense. It's better I have you here than know that you're with that aunt of yours. I never much liked your mother's side of the family and after she left," Ava's grandmother said under her breath.

Dampened by the mention of her mother, who had abandoned her two years after she was born, Ava excused herself and started on her homework, hoping to finish it before cooking dinner. She looked around the small, delicate living room. Most of the furniture had faint floral patterns on them and the table she sat at was small and oak. The curtains let in most of the light, but there was a fancy-looking yellow lamp in the corner, as well as a small, cheap chandelier above Ava's head.

After finishing her homework, Ava cooked a meal of chicken and rice, calling to her grandmother who wheeled in and ate with her. When they were finished, Ava took the plates and washed them before eventually falling asleep in the small room that had previously been a guest room. She didn't mind living with her grandmother and she loved New York, but she did miss the stable life she had had with her dad in Washington DC. She supposed there wasn't much she could do about it now, after what had happened to her father.

 **I hope you enjoyed! If you did, please follow and favorite. If you didn't, please review and tell me why or what I could improve on. If you also like the Avengers and are interested in a Tony Stark x OC story, please check out my other story: Siren's Song.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! Thank you to the people that have followed/favourited this story so far. Also, thank you to shootin'stars for reviewing and discussing the characters with me! For those of you that like the Marvel Universe as a whole, I have another fanfiction about the Avengers. It is a Tony Stark x OC but it's a bit more slow-paced than this one. Sorry about that. Anyway, onto Chapter 2!**

 **Disclaimer: I own no one from the Spider-man world or Marvel Universe, I only own my OC's.**

 **Chapter 2: Who is the Firebird?**

Peter Parker had a relatively pleasent morning.

"Peter! Time for school," Aunt May called as she tended a pan of eggs and bacon in the kitchen.

"Thanks Aunt May," Peter replied as he shrugged on a pair of jeans, a shirt and a hoodie.

He tumbled down the stairs and thanked her again as he received his breakfast. After wolfing it down, Peter slipped his camera over his head and grabbed his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. He waved goodbye to May and left the house, deciding that a little crime fighting before class would clear his head.

* * *

Ava Livingston had a slightly less smooth start to the day. Jerked awake by her violent alarm and Ichigo's indignant barking, Ava darted to the kitchen where she made scrambled eggs for her grandmother and a measly piece of toast before rushing out of the door, bag in hand, wearing a white floral dress and pale blue denim jacket, with brown ankle boots.

Tearing down the road to the school, Ava noticed that no one else from her new school was around. Looking at her clock, she realized that she was 30 minutes early. She groaned and plopped down on the short wall separating the school and streets, her head resting in her hands.

"You ok there, Blondie?" a male voice asked. She jumped and looked up to see Flash Thompson, who Liz had forced her to meet briefly at lunch the day before.

"I'm fine," she muttered, "And you can't call someone 'Blondie' when you're blonde yourself."

"I can do what I want," Flash chuckled, "I heard you joined the science club."

"I _visited_ the science club," Ava corrected irritably.

"Well, what did you think?"

"I don't know. I like science, but I think I'll try a few other things before settling," she decided.

"Phew. Liz almost had a heart attack when she got your text. Confronted Parker about it," Flash explained.

"Peter?"

"Yeah. Wait, how'd you know his name?"

"We met through Gwen Stacy," Ava muttered, "Look, no offense, Flash, but why are you here?"

"I had football practice, saw a pretty girl in distress and thought I could help," Thompson flirted.

"Aren't you going out with Liz Allan?"

"Relationship statuses change all the time," Flash blew off, inching closer to the new girl.

Ava glared at him and stood up. Without a single word to the jock, she strutted past, losing herself in the high school. When she looked at her clock again, she realized there was only 5 minutes left before classes started and she was completely lost. The area around her was strangely deserted, so she continued to venture through the labyrinth of winding corridors. She turned a corner and was greeted with-

"Oh! Hi, Ava," a shy voice said.

Peter, narrowly avoiding bumping into the poor girl, stood in front of her, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Hey Peter," she replied.

"Are you lost? There's only a few minutes left until homeroom. Which room are you in?"

"2B," the blonde read from her notes.

"Or not to be," Peter joked. Ava smiled weakly, "That's the same as me. I can walk you there, if you'd like."

"Sure," Ava agreed.

It didn't take long to find the room from there. They didn't speak much as they hurried, but Peter glanced at Ava every now again, not that she noticed.

"Mr Parker, Miss Livingston, you're late," the teacher snapped, "I'll have to give you a tardy slip."

"Sorry, Mrs Smith," Peter mumbled.

"Actually, it was my fault. I-I don't know the school very well and I got lost. Peter... went looking for me and that's why he was late as well," Ava lied. Well, it was half-true, but what Peter was really doing down that corridor at the back of the school was a complete mystery.

"Is that true, Mr Parker?" Mrs Smith asked sceptically. Ava gave Peter a meaningful look.

"I... Yes, that's about it," he lied.

"Well, this is a warning then, Miss Livingston. Make sure you stay in the halls you know before homeroom," the teacher cautioned.

"Yes, Mrs Smith," Ava nodded, before following Peter to two empty seats partway near the back.

Mrs Smith began to babble on about something most likely unimportant, and Peter took the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the blonde beauty sitting next to him. Once he looked, Peter found he couldn't tear his eyes away. After a while, Ava noticed that she was being watched and smiled sweetly. His eyes widened at her smile, plus the fact that his staring had been so obvious, and he looked away. He could see her smile falter in the corner of his eye and Peter knew that his quick reaction had given her the wrong idea about his feelings toward her.

By lunch, Ava and Peter hadn't really spoken. Put off by the fact that he looked away from her when she smiled, Ava didn't feel the need to talk to him, however she had fun chattering with Gwen in Physics and later in History. At lunch, she decided to sit with Gwen instead of Liz, despite the frantic waving of the popular girl.

"Ava! Hey! This is Harry Osborn," Gwen introduced amiably.

"Hi Ava. I've heard a lot about you from Gwen and Peter," Harry greeted.

"Hello, Harry. Where's Peter?"

"He decided to join photography club, I think. Went to talk to Mr Havenport about when it's on," Gwen answered.

"Why? Miss him already?" Harry smirked, causing Ava to blush heavily.

"I-I just wanted to apologize. I think I did something wrong earlier," she explained timidly.

"I'm sure he'll be here soon. Hey, did you guys hear about Washington DC's vigilante? We have Spider-man, they had some girl called the Firebird," Gwen started.

"Had?" Harry questioned.

"Yeah, no-one's seen her in about a month."

"I wonder what happened to her. Could she have died? There were plenty of times we thought Spidey was dead, with all the dangerous scenarios he's been in," Harry theorized.

"Hey Ava, did you ever see the Firebird?" Gwen asked. Ava grinned knowingly.

"A couple of times. She wore this red and orange get-up. Black boots, red dress with a skirt of orange feathers, a yellow bracelet with her symbol on a charm and a gold half-mask with a short beak. It looked good," she described, "I sure know Washington will miss her. Ever since the increase in superheroes, New York has been the only thing on the news."

"I hope nothing bad happened," Gwen mumbled.

"Maybe she just moved, like me," Ava smiled.

"Maybe," Gwen repeated.

At that moment, Peter walked in, pulling something red off of his hand as he entered the hall. He strolled over to the table, but Ava couldn't help noticing a slight limp in his stride.

"Hey," he greeted, his voice sounding slightly out of breath.

"Hey Peter. Did you talk to Havenport?" Gwen queried.

"Oh, um, no, I couldn't find him. Oh well, maybe I'll join the school newspaper instead," Peter shrugged.

"We were just talking about Spider-man and the Firebird," Harry filled in, his voice muffled by a mouthful of food.

"Wait, wait, wait. So Firebird gets a 'the' but Spidey is just Spider-man?" Peter exclaimed.

"They chose their own names, not me! If Spidey wanted to be 'the' Spider-man, he would have introduced himself to people as that, as the Firebird does," Gwen reasoned.

"So what are the Firebird's powers?"

"Well, she can control fire and warmth, talk to birds and fly, as well as having a little bit of superhuman strength and speed," Ava recalled, "Spidey can climb on most surfaces, has the proportionate strength of the spider and... Some kind of senses?"

"He calls them Spider-senses. He can tell if something is... Flying towards him or if someone's going to attack him a moment before it happens. Oh, and you missed out the webs," Peter added, almost proudly.

"I didn't miss them out. We were talking about powers, abilities. He _made_ those webs, so it's not on my list," Ava justified playfully.

"Fair enough," Peter sighed.

"I'd say they're pretty evenly matched," Gwen said.

"Um, fire and flying against sticking and swinging? I don't see _that_ as evenly matched," Ava snickered, slowly becoming more confident with the group.

"Spider-man may not have the best powers in the world, but he sure knows how to use what he's got. The Firebird has cool abilities, but whether she can use them well is a completely different matter," Peter challenged.

"As someone who has seen her in action, I can honestly say that she knows how to use them," Ava promised.

"Hey Ava!" a new voice greeted, shocking the group out of their debate.

They looked up to see Liz Allan and Flash Thompson standing next to their table. Flash didn't seem particularly happy about even being close to Peter, but Liz was trying hard to get her new friend back.

"Weren't you going to eat lunch with us?" she queried.

"Oh, well I thought it might be fun to eat with someone else today," Ava responded earnestly.

"You chose Parker over _us_?" Flash fumed.

"Why wouldn't I? Popularity isn't everything, Flash," the new girl remarked.

"It's better to be popular than an outcast," Flash growled.

"I've been both and I beg to differ," Ava muttered.

"Well, at least promise to sit with us tomorrow, ok?" Liz insisted, staring directly at Ava with puppy-dog eyes.

"Sure," she resigned.

At that, they sauntered off. Watching their retreating figures, Ava sighed. Harry looked at her curiously.

"That was surprisingly brave," he commented.

"Not really. Finding myself agreeing to have lunch with them tomorrow isn't what I'd call brave," she mumbled.

"No offense, but it was a lot more confident when you first introduced yourself."

"I'm shy around new people. At my old school, I knew everyone. I became anxious before I left and if I met anyone new, I'd stammer. Once I get used to a person, or group of people, it's easier to talk," Ava explained.

Before anyone could say anything more, the bell rang. Ava smiled at them and hurried off to her next class.

"Is it just me or did that create more questions than it answered?" Peter frowned.

"It's her business, Pete, she'll tell us if she wants to," Gwen shrugged.

After school, Peter and Gwen spotted Ava with Liz again. She glanced at them and waved, but didn't walk over. They watched her say goodbye to the popular girls, who hurried off to watch football practice, and walk around the corner away from the pair and her own home.

Gwen was ready to ignore the strange behaviour and catch the bus before they missed it completely, but Peter was interested.

"I'll take the subway," he excused, following the blonde in the opposite direction.

It wasn't long before the brunet caught sight of her again. She was on the phone, and Peter made sure that he was close enough to hear her over the crowds that occupied the streets of New York.

"I'm sorry, I promise to be home by dinner. Don't worry, it's only for today. I might have to leave again after dinner, though... Are you sure? Do you even know how to order take-out? Ok, I promise this is a one-time thing, for school," he heard her say.

Peter guessed it was her grandmother on the other end. He wondered why she was lying. Ava obviously wasn't planning to do any schoolwork, wherever she was going. He followed her through twists and turns, repeating every alley, street and boulevard that she stepped foot on. Eventually, she came to a grinding halt in the middle of a park.

As if remembering how to retrace long-forgotten steps, Ava teetered to the side, searching through countless bushes and peering over benches before finally finding what she was looking for. He watched her grin happily and skip through an invisible trail between trees and shrubbery. He tried his best to keep up, and was able to find himself watching from behind a tree trunk as the blonde stepped into a small clearing. It was surrounded by vegetation, but the tops of skyscrapers were easily seen.

She sat cross-legged in the middle of the mini-field and Peter's eyes widened when the grassy ground was lit on fire. It formed a perfect circle around the girl, who had her eyes fluttered shut. She seemed at peace, not minding the rising temperature and perilous inferno that were soon to engulf her. But they didn't. In fact, apart from the dancing flames, the fire didn't move at all. It didn't race towards the potential fuel of the trees or creep closer to the innocent teenager within them. It was completely controlled.

Peter let out a relieved and amazed sigh. Ava moved her fingers slightly and the fire morphed into a single flame, which swept towards her at alarming speed. It shrunk rapidly and travelled into her open palm, which she had lowered to its height. She giggled as it explored her hand, weaving between her fingers excitedly. In an attempt to see better, Peter inched closer, accidentally snapping a fallen branch. It took less than a second for the flame to grow and Ava to wheel around, her face serious and hand outstretched. Fortunately, Peter's reflexes were faster and he ducked behind the tree trunk, narrowly avoiding being seen.

Ava released an unsteady breath and turned her torso back to the direction of her hips and legs. Slowly, she closed her hand, extinguishing the flame within it, and stood up. She picked up her bag, which rested on the untouched ground next to her, and began to return to her path. Peter quickly retreated, finding his way back to the park, and ran off before he could be spotted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi, here's the third chapter! Thanks for those of you that are following the story, even if there aren't many of you.**

 **Disclaimer: I own no one in Marvel Comics or the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I only own my OC's.**

 **Chapter 3 - The Spider and The Bird**

"Ok, ok," Peter muttered, sounding almost hysterical, "Ava has superpowers. Ava is... Ava is the Firebird."  
He was wandering aimlessly in the streets of Forest Hills, slowly letting the truth sink in. He had no idea how to process this information. He couldn't confront her. He couldn't have imagined it, but it must be false. Maybe he had been daydreaming or fell asleep in the park. Maybe he had yet to wake up. There must be _some_ reasonable explanation for the fact that he had just seen Ava Livingston create fire. How it even worked, how science had allowed this to happen, was beyond him. Before he continue his mindless ranting, Peter's phone rang. He grabbed it quickle and answered.  
"Hello?"  
"Peter, hey! Just calling to make sure you for home alright," Gwen announced.  
"Oh, what time is it?" he queried.  
"About 7, I guess. Why? You're not still out are you?" Peter paled at her answer.  
"N-no. I just... There isn't a clock in this room and I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask," he lied obviously.  
"Seriously, Peter? Tell me you called May. She's probably freaking out. You're always home by 5," Gwen reminded.  
"Gotta go, Gwen. See you tomorrow," he mumbled quickly.  
He'd deal with his findings later. For now, Peter had to find a way home, fast, and think of an excuse. Mugged? No, that might hit too close to home, seeing as Ben's death had only happened a year ago. Study group? No, he would've called. Date? Peter preferred to have a single scolding than be continuously badgered about an imaginary girl. He supposed that keeping it simple and dealing with Aunt May's sigh of exasperation and telling-off would be better than anything.  
After returning home, Peter snuck through the front door in the hope that his Aunt was elsewhere. Unfortunately, she was sitting at the dining table, waiting for him.  
"Peter, where have you _been?"_ she started.  
"I'm so sorry, Aunt May, I just lost track of time. I would've called but I... I got lost in my thoughts. I swear it won't happen again," he promised.  
"How am I supposed to believe you when this happens so often?" the older woman sighed.  
"I know, I know! I'm trying to stop, I promise, but I... I don't know, it's just so easy to get distracted," he excused.  
After exchanging a few more reprimanding words, Peter resigned to his room. He had missed dinner, not that he was that hungry after what he had discovered. His mind was still burdened by this secret, especially by the fact that Ava didn't even know he knew. How was he supposed to keep her own self ret from her? And Peter was still unsure if what he had seen was the truth. Maybe he had just been daydreaming. He doubted it but there was a chance he could've been intoxicated. How he would've been drugged was a question he didn't want answered, but the result seemed the mist likely. He had to test his new theory, but before anything, he needed to clear his head.  
Donning his red and blue costume once again, Peter slipped out of his window and swung into the night air, ready for whatever the crime of New York could throw at him.

* * *

Ava was unsettled to say the least. She was sure that she had heard something, and even the concept that someone had witnessed her abilities made her feel sick. If anyone knew, she was as good as dead. For a lot of reasons. But she hasn't _seen_ anyone. The idea that she was becoming paranoid was disturbing.  
After the events of that afternoon, Ava had returned home briefly, to pick up her costume. She had made up some excuse to her grandmother about forgetting important homework before setting out, changing into her outfit in an abandoned alley. Now dressed in knee-high black boots, a red dress with orange-tinged feathers at the end and a gilded, lustrous dark yellow half-mask with a pointed beak, Ava ran at the side of the wall.  
She used the momentum to throw herself into the air. Her arms, which had been clamped to her sides, opened, the feathers of the dress spreading out with them, creating makeshift wings. From there, Ava glided to the top of the apartment complex. It took a while to scower the streets before finding any criminals but she soon had a villain in sights. A young girl was being harassed by two men. The Firebird dove down to help, kicking one of the men in the groin as she landed. He stumbled forward before regaining his balance and groaning at the ache in his back. High-heeled boots were a good choice.  
"Who the hell are you?" the other gaped.  
"You obviously haven't been to Washington DC in a while," Ava chuckled as her hand caught fire.  
The man gulped, realizing that a kick in the back was nothing compared to the onslaught of pain he was about to feel. Still, he stood his ground, easing his fists in her direction.  
"Really? You're going for fists against fire. Wow," the Firebird remarked confidently.  
"Sorry I don't have a knife, babe," he shrugged, "I lent it to my partner."  
Ava swivelled around just in time to stop the man she had kicked from stabbing her in the back... Literally. He practically snarled as she snatched his wrist and squeezed until he dropped the blade. She then tossed his hand to the side, his body following suit from the force of her grip. The Firebird was about to attack the second attacker when she was punched in the shoulder blade. The force caused an immediate shot of pain to beat at the top of her arm.  
"Oh, you should _not_ have done that, dude," she seethed, livid.  
Before the criminal could sneer another word, the hero sent a fist erupting with flames at his cheek. He yelped and slapped his palm to the burning skin. He fell to the ground, the heat and agony weakening his every joint.  
"Woah, sorry, that got heated," she breathed, "... That was unintentional, by the way."  
"You bitch!" he screamed.  
"Language! There's no need for that. You did kind of deserve it," she muttered.  
Ava heard a grunt behind her and snapped her head around to see the other criminal holding a pipe. He lunged at her and yelled out, but the Firebird merely caught the useless weapon and melted the polyvynil chloride tube until it seeped through her fingers into a scorching hot puddle on the concrete.  
"Whoops. That was a bit over-the-top as well. Haven't used my powers in a while, you see," she mumbled before turning her attention back to the thug.  
His mouth was opening and closing hesitantly as he eyed the melted pipe on the floor. His eyes darted to the girl in front of him and shot his arms into the air.  
"I surrendur," he stated, falling to his knees.  
"Me too!" moaned his friend from behind her.  
"Hey, I'm not the police. Just don't do it again, or things are gonna be worse than a banged-up cheek and a pile of molten metal," she warned severely.  
The two men nodded frantically and Ava turned to the wide-eyed girl, who had backed up into the side of the wall.  
"You know, you're not going to become the wall just because you push yourself into it," she advised.  
"Who are you?" the girl whispered.  
"What does Spidey say? I'm your friendly neighborhood Firebird," Ava remembered.  
"You know Spider-man?"  
"Yeah, I'm his cousin from Washington," the superhero joked.  
"Seriously?"  
"Of course not. Look, just go home, kid," the Firebird sighed.  
The girl scampered off and Ava tied up the two thugs, before pouncing into the air, landing gracefully on the roof. She sprinted along the top of the building and leapt to another, continuing this pattern in an attempt to search for more crime. Before finding any, however, she bumped into another speeding figure.  
"Oof!" Ava uttered as she was slammed to the ground.  
"Woah, sorry! Didn't see you... There," the figure apologized as he turned to help her up.  
It was Spider-man. Ava gasped and scrambled to her feet. He was motionless and, though his face was hidden behind the mask, she had the feeling he was shocked by something. Oh right, another vigilante.  
"Um, hi! I'm... The Firebird. I'm kind of like your Washington DC counterpart," Ava explained hesitantly. Spidey shook his head.  
"Yeah, sorry. I was just surprised... To see another... Person like me, I guess," he stammered.  
His voice sounded familiar, like she had heard it recently, but Ava couldn't pinpoint it.  
"I'm sorry, do I know you?"  
"Me? No, I don't think so. I... I've got to go, I'll see you. Maybe, I don't know," he stuttered.  
"Maybe we could team up some time," she smiled.  
He waved awkwardly before sticking his hand out. A web shot from it and attached itself to a nearby building. It retracted, pulling his hand and body with it. Ava giggled and continued on her nightly escapade. By about midnight, she was satisfied with her work and heading back to the apartment, slipping through her window from the fire escape.

 **I hope you enjoyed! If you didn't, please leave a _nice_ and _constructive_ review. If you're a fan of the Avengers, I have a Tony Stark x OC fanfic called Siren's Song.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello hello! I know there still aren't many of you but thanks again if you are following or have favorited this story! If you have any qualms, problems or questions about the story, please review or PM me, but please keep it polite. Hate mail can have a large effect on someone's mental state. Just saying.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Marvel Comics or Marvel Cinematic Universe, just my OC's.**

 **Chapter 4 - I Know Your Secret**

The next morning, Ava woke up bleary-eyed and exhausted. Sleep had been hard to come after the adrenaline rush of saving lives. She shrugged off the comforter and slipped on a pair of denim jeans, a long white top and a light beige cardigan. She brushed her hair through a few times and went to the bathroom before heading to the kitchen to cook breakfast before her elderly relative awoke. By the time Ava called for her, however, Mrs Livingston was already awake.  
"Ava! Where in God's name were you?" she scolded.  
"I'm sorry, I lost track of time. I promise, it won't happen again," Ava mumbled.  
"It better not, or you'll be on a one-way trip back to DC," she warned.  
Ava half-smiled at the empty threat. She knew that her grandmother was as dependent on her as it was the other way around. Plus, they both knew that there were too many memories in Washington. The blonde wasn't planning to go back for at least a year, no matter how many old friends missed her.  
"Well I'll be back straight after school today and if I'm not, I promise to call and be back by 6," Ava swore.  
"Good. I can't handle that kind of worry at my age," Mrs Livingston grumbled.  
Ava giggled and bid farewell to her guardian before heading out the door, still feeling drowsy. Upon entering the school, the new girl made sure to go straight to her homeroom, in order to avoid yesterday's mistake. The teacher smiled at her. She spent the remainder of her time finishing up homework she had been set the day before.  
By the time school had officially begun, Peter had yet to be seen. Five minutes after the start of homeroom, he came rushing in. The teacher glared.  
"Sorry, Mr Parker, no one to save you this time," she smirked as she handed him a slip of paper.  
He sighed but didn't say anything, sliding into his seat next to Ava. She smiled but he didn't even look at her. Peter seemed on edge, tapping his foot rapidly on the ground as if he expected something bad to happen.  
"You ok, Peter?" Ava whispered gently, moving her hand to touch his upper arm.  
He flinched at the contact and stopped tapping. He glanced at her halfheartedly before facing forward.  
"Fine," he muttered.  
Ava frowned at his strange behavior but copied his movements and turned to watch Mrs Smith ramble. They didn't speak at any point throughout the rest of homeroom, although the blonde peeked at the anxious boy next to her numerous times.  
At lunch, Ava headed to Peter's table, where Gwen and Harry were already eating. However, Liz took quick action and reminded her of her promise. She inwardly groaned and planted her tray on the popular table. Peter was nowhere to be seen for the rest of that period. Finally, in the last lesson of the day, Chemistry, he took notice of her, offering to be lab partners. Ava agreed enthusiastically and they began the project.  
Half-way through, Peter set up a Bunsen Burner and accidentally held a sheet of paper a tad too close. The raging flame immediately leapt onto it. Ava's eyes widened, but, with a simple twitch of a finger, the fire was out. Peter let out a breath of relief and the blonde was sure she had seen his eyes widen slightly.  
"Are you alright, Peter?" she asked worriedly.  
He nodded his head and turned back to continue the assignment.  
"I'm sorry for ditching you yesterday, by the way. I... Had to run errands for my grandmother," Ava lied.  
"It's fine, I stayed at school a little while longer anyway," he mumbled.  
"Right. I would've apologized to Gwen at lunch but I promised Liz and I didn't want to disappoint her," the blonde continued.  
Peter became relatively quiet after that, but remained as jittery. By the end of school, hr hadn't uttered another word to the girl that wasn't related to their assignment. Ava met up with Gwen.  
"Hey, is it just me or is Peter a little off today?" she questioned.  
"No, there's definitely something wrong," Gwen bit her lip.  
"Any idea what it is?"  
"No. He's not usually like this," Gwen assured.  
"Did _I_ do something?" Ava murmured.  
"I seriously doubt it," Gwen snorted.  
Ava looked at her friend curiously, wondering what she meant. Before she could voice her question, Harry came sauntering out of the school entrance towards them.  
"Hey guys! Have you seen Peter?" he enquired.  
"Not since I left the classroom, no," Ava shrugged.  
"Ah well. I was going to return his science homewo... I mean book. Science book," Harry smirked.  
"Whatever you say, Harry," Gwen sighed exasperatedly.  
"Doesn't your dad own, like, one of the biggest science companies in New York?" Ava raised an eyebrow.  
"Exactly, he _owns_ it. An entire company and he's in charge. He doesn't have time to help his son with homework," Harry replied bitterly.  
There was a slightly awkward silence as Gwen looked down and Ava lightly patted the boy's shoulder.  
"Oh! I need to get home," the blonde suddenly exclaimed, grabbing her bag.  
"Why the rush?"  
"I make dinner. I'm cooking Bouillabaisse and it takes about an hour and a half. You guys are welcome round any time, by the way," Ava smiled brightly.  
"Thanks, but I'm having dinner with my parents," Gwen refused politely.  
"Peter and I were supposed to be having take-out tonight. He probably won't show up but I might as well wait and see," Harry shrugged.  
Ava nodded slightly and began walking off. As she turned the corner, the blonde thought she saw a green flash sprint into the alleyway beside her. Following it out of curiosity, she stepped into the shadowed backstreet.  
"Hello?" she questioned uncertainly.  
No voice replied, but Ava heard a scuffling from deeper in the alley. She was about to dig deeper into the mystery when another voice was heard from the street.  
"Ava? Ava Livingston?" it called as if it couldn't believe it was her.  
The blonde turned to see a teenager with short, straight, sandy blonde hair and green eyes. He grinned at her.  
"Jake?" she whispered.  
"Oh my god, Ava!" he laughed happily, running towards her.  
She let him catch her in a hug that swept he roff her feet. Ava giggled and returned the embrace.  
"What are you doing in New York?" she queried.  
"My dad is president of the company now but we had to move because this is where the company is based," Jake explained.  
"Where are you going to school?"  
"Midtown High. Why?"  
"You're joking!" she squealed, "That's where I go!"  
"No way."  
"Yes way! How come you didn't tell me, though? I only left on Friday last week," Ava tilted her head.  
"It was really last minute. He got told on Sunday and we moved yesterday."  
"What about finding a house?"  
"Some guy was desperate to sell his house so that he could move to Ohio, or something. A stroke of luck, I guess," he continued.  
Ava bit back anymore questions she had. She was just cheerful to see him again. Jake Sheehan had been her boyfriend in Washington, but they broke up when Ava moved because they didn't feel they could keep a steady long-term relationship going.  
"I'm so sorry, Ave, I've got to go. I promise we'll catch up soon. Tomorrow, even. I'm starting school then," Jake waved goodbye and ran off.  
Ava shrugged off the hurried exit and waved back, despite the fact that he had already rounded the corner. She continued her journey home and opened the apartment door. Ichigo immediately sniffled at her feet and jumped up, gently scratching the human's jeans.  
"Down girl," she giggled lightly, much to the whining of the puppy-sized canine, "Grandma?"  
"Ava, I'm in the kitchen!"  
Curiously, the teenager entered the kitchen, only to rush to the counter as she her elderly relative standing up.  
"What are you doing? The doctor says you shouldn't be leaving the wheelchair except in emergencies," Ava reminded worriedly.  
"You worry too much, honey," Mrs Livingston waved off, "I was just making a cup of tea."  
"Why didn't you wait for me to come home? You could've fallen and no one would've known!"  
"Barbara is just across the hall, Ava. You have to stop worrying," her grandmother sighed, slumping back into the wheelchair in defeat.  
"I'm not going to stop worrying. You're the only real family I have left," Ava muttered.  
After a delicious meal of bouillabaisse and an hour or so of homework, the dark-blonde-haired teen began to retire for bed. She was about to get changed when she heard a faint tapping at her window. Opening the curtains, Ava's eyes widened at the sight of Spider-man crouched painfully on the fire escape. He looked injured, so she opened the window. He limped in.  
"Um, hi Spider-man," she greeted awkwardly.  
As if just realizing that he was wearing a mask, the stranger tore it off to reveal a familiar face. Ava gasped.  
"Peter?" she whispered.  
It was blatantly him, despite the cut on his cheek and blood dripping from his mouth.  
"I'm so sorry, Ava, I didn't want you to find out like this, but you were the only person I knew who lived in this area," he explained, uneven breaths slowing his speech.  
"How do you know where I live?" Ava enquired, more bewildered than anything else.  
"I... May have followed you home today. I'm sorry, but I was curious!" he defended weakly, before breaking out into a coughing fit.  
"Peter, what happened?"  
"I was fighting some ninja-style guy in black. I lost," the brunet explained simply.  
"Take off your shirt," Ava mumbled, her cheeks tinted pink.  
"What?"  
"Take off your shirt! Don't make me say it again, Parker," she snapped, "And sit up, elevate the wound."  
Peter grinned and pulled off the red and blue top half of the costume, revealing considerable muscles as well as a huge jagged cut through the stomach. Ava winced, but said nothing, grabbing the emergency first aid kit from off of her shelf. Working quickly, she got out the necessary tools.  
"How long has it been bleeding for?" she asked.  
"A couple of minutes or so? Why, is that bad?"  
"It's fine. It just means your body has washed out anything stuck on the inside. I'll be back in a second," she promised before darting out of the room.  
She soon returned with a bowl of cool water and soap. She sat it down and turned back to the wound.  
"Um, is soap really the best idea for an open wound?" Peter queried hesitantly.  
"Don't worry, it's mild. I'll only use a little, anyway."  
After a short timw of washing, she passed him a bottle of aspirin and pressed a clean dressing against the slash.  
"Here, take some," she instructed, motioning to the aspirin.  
He obliged quickly before slumping back down into the corner of the room where he sat. She applied some numbing cream around the wound and got out a needle.  
"Peter, at this point you can either go to the hospital or I can stitch it up. Are you sure your identity is worth this much?" she said honestly.  
"I trust you," he grunted.  
Ava let out an unsteady breath before beginning. When she was done, she wrapped his entire lower torso in a bandage. She sat back and passed him a bottle of fresh water.  
"Thanks, I didn't think that was going to go so well," he chuckled.  
"How did you know that I would be able to help?" Ava confronted, ignoring his comment.  
"Oh, well..." Peter suddenly became quiet.  
"How did you know that I would have the ability and tools to help you?" she repeated.  
Peter half-sighed and half-groaned. He slapped a hand to his forehead.  
"I know," he muttered.  
"Know what?" Ava pushed, though she was relatively sure she knew the answer.  
"I saw you in the park, I know you're the Firebird," he admitted.  
"That was you?" she whispered, "Why didn't you tell me today?"  
"How is that supposed to go down?" Peter snapped, "Oh, hey Ava. I saw you create fire yesterday, by the way!"  
"Not in that way, but you could've said something," Ava mumbled.  
"I know, I'm sorry. I just didn't think... I didn't think," he sighed.  
"I'm going to go and get changed," the blonde announced randomly, snatching her pyjamas and heading to the bathroom.  
When she returned, Peter was gone, leaving only the first aid kit and a stain of blood as evidence of his presence. Ava spent the rest of the night cleaning the carpet before crawling into bed and delving into a dreamless sleep.

 **Sorry about any mistakes, grammatical or otherwise. Also, if any of you know anything about medical stuff, can you tell me if Ava's process of healing the wound was accurate? I searched it a bit but I really wanted to get the chapter up today so I wasn't very thorough. Any other questions, leave a review! Just keep it polite please. Thanks again!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, sorry this took so long... and it probably isn't even any good. Oh well, I'll try and make up for it in the next chapter. I'm thinking of updating this story every week now, I kind of ran out of momentum. Speak to you next Sunday then? Sorry!**

 **Disclaimer: I own no Marvel characters, just my OC's.**

 **Chapter 5: Jacob Sheehan**

The next day, Ava got to school early in the hopes of seeing Jake... And possibly avoiding Peter. It was ironic that she had been upset at Peter after he avoided her due to finding out her secret, and now she was doing practically the same thing. Maybe she was overreacting but the dark blonde didn't want to talk to him after the teen abruptly turned up at her window and admitted that he knew her secret, showing her his own in the process. It was just a little too much, especially when she thought that they had only been friends for about 3 days. Ava searched for Jake for a while. She was about to give up and retire to homeroom when she saw the light blonde trailing behind the principal.

"Do you know anyone from the school already?" the man asked casually.

"Yeah, I know the new girl, Ava Livingston," he answered.

"We can put you in the same homeroom then. You won't be in homeroom today, but you'll see her tomorrow morning if you don't get a chance today," the principal continued.

Jake nodded and rounded the corner. Ava smiled and returned to the classroom. For the first time since she joined the school, Peter wasn't late.

"Hi," he whispered from across the distance between their desks.

"Hi," she muttered, not looking directly at him.

"Are you angry?"

"No, it's just... A lot to take in at once," Ava mumbled.

"I'm really sorry for dropping it all on you at once. Thanks for stitching me up, though."

"Is it feeling alright?" the blonde bit her lip.

"Oh, it was gone by this morning. I have a small healing factor," Peter shrugged.

"Mr Parker! If you could keep the talking to a minimum, I'd appreciate it," Mrs Smith snapped.

"No problem, Mrs S," Peter called.

As the teacher turned back to face the board, the teenager continued.

"So, anyway, are you eating lunch with us today?

"Actually, a... Friend of mine just joined the school so I think I'll eat with him. I don't know where, yet," Ava explained.

"You can invite him to the table if you want.

Ava smiled but couldn't say another word as the bell rang. She waved slightly and walked out, hurryng to her first class. Peter made his own way to class and spent a dreary lesson learning useless facts in History. In between first and second period, however, the brown-haired boy was crashed out of his bored trail of thought by someone knocking his shoulder, sending Spidey's books tumbling to the floor.

"Woah, sorry dude. You ok?" a confident voice rang out.

Peter glanced up to see a boy with fair skin, straight blonde hair and piercing green eyes. He held his hand out as a form of apology and, begrudgingly, the brunet accepted the gesture. The blonde smiled and picked up a few of his books.

"I'm fine," Peter muttered irritably.

"Sorry, I'm new, I don't really know the halls very well. Do you know where the gym is?" he questioned, "I'm Jacob Sheehan, by the way, but my friends call me Jake."

"Round back to the school entrance and there's a set of double doors on the right end of the corridor," Peter advised, "I'm Peter Parker."

"See you later, I guess. Thanks, man," the buy grinned before following Peter's outstretched arm.

By lunch, Peter had yet to see Ava or the new kid again. He sat down next to Gwen and Harry at their usual table.

"Hey, have either of you seen the new kid yet?" he queried casually.

"Yeah, I saw him. He's already in with the popular group. Was it always that easy or do they only like _specific_ good-looking people," he grumbled.

"Whatever you say, Harry," Peter chuckled.

At that moment, Ava walked in. She smiled at the group and began to make her way over when a hand grabbed her upper arm. She turned to see the sandy blonde from that morning. Jake. He motioned to the popular group while Ava gestured to their own table.

"What are they talking about?" Gwen whispered as they watched the two talk.

After a few words, they saw Ava visibly sigh and smile weakly at them before letting Jake guide her to the table where Flash and Liz were sitting.

"What just happened?" Harry questioned.

"I have no idea."

* * *

"Hey Ava, what happened at lunch?" Gwen muttered as the two sat down for Spanish.

"Oh sorry about that, Jake's my... Old friend. From my last school. He wanted to sit with the popular crowd because he's joining the football team," Ava excused.

"Oh, well that's nice. Maybe he can eat with us sometime and we can meet him?" Gwen offered.

"Sure, I'll ask him on Monday," the dark blonde smiled.

At the end of school, the two walked out chatting, only to be immediately bombarded by Jake and some of the popular kids.

"Hi Ava, I'm trying out for the team, wanna come and watch?" he asked.

"Sure. Oh, this is a friend of mine by the way. Gwen Stacy, Jacob Sheehan, Jake, Gwen," Ava introduced happily.

"Hello, Ava told me about you at lunch," Jake greeted.

"She mentioned you too. It's nice to meet you. Maybe you and Ava could sit with us at some point," Gwen hinted.

"Maybe."

The group made their way to the field behind the school. Gwrn texted Peter and Harry, who were both quick to reply. Harry stated he hoped she enjoyed the game while Peter announced he was going to go too. It didn't take him long to fulfill this promise as he arrived just as Jake stepped onto the field.

"Hey Gwen, where's Ava? And... Why are we here?" he questioned.

"Jake is an old friend of Ava's," Gwen shrugged.

"... Oh yeah. I... Completely forgot about that. That was really obvious, I'm an idiot. Wait, are they _just_ friends or...?" he trailed off towards the end.

"Sorry, Pete, I have no idea," she sighed.

 **Again, sorry! If you didn't like it, politely tell me why not. If you did, good! I'm glad. So the next chapter will be in a week's time. Try not to forget about the story!**


	6. Chapter 6

As the days, and eventually weeks, wore on, Ava spent less time with Peter, Gwen and Harry and more time with Jake. Liz approved greatly of this, squealing when they were together and giggling with the other girls when they were apart. At night, Ava still flight crime, but to a lesser extent. Peter's mood had derailed rapidly. He was still doing well in class but his enthusiasm waned and he spent more time alone. In the next two weeks, everyone assumed that Jake and Ava were back together and doubted if they had ever really been apart.  
Every night, Peter spent more and more time out on the streets trying to get his mind off of his crush. In the mornings, he woke up tired and miserable.  
"Hey Peter!" Gwen called one morning upon arriving at the school.  
"Hi Gwen," Peter sighed.  
"Are you doing ok?" the blonde tilted her head, "I hate to say it but maybe it's time you got over Ava. I'm sorry but I think it's too late."  
"I never had a chance in the first place, Gwen. Do you really think it is easy to just get over it when you like someone? I've given up, but I haven't gotten over it," Peter snapped.  
"I know more than you think, Pete," Gwen mumbled, "I just don't want you to be moping aoound like a lost puppy for the next two years of your life."  
"I know I'm bringing you and Harry down but... This is important to me, ok?"  
"Fine, sort it out on your own. I was just trying to help," Gwen lashed out.  
She stormed up the steps and into the building. Peter followed at a slower pace and changed route to his own homeroom. Ava was already there when he walked in. Since Jake's arrival, the dark blonde had moved to the middle of the classroom to sit next to her boyfriend instead of at the back with Peter. It should have been expected, but it had still been a fatal blow for the teen's mood. She waved at him as he passed, and smiled weakly, but, as he said and did nothing, she quickly turned back to her other friends.  
Jake entered not soon after Peter. Eventually, the teacher entered and registered everyone. The brunet stared intensely at the back of Ava's head for the remainder of the 20 minutes and watched as she chatted with the others sitting around her. By the end of homeroom, Peter hadn't said a word to the girl. He followed her from a distance to their English class where she sat next to Liz. Unfortunately, Peter had no choice but to hear what they were talking about.  
"Hey Ava! So, how was your date yesterday?" Liz giggled.  
"It wasn't a date! We were just hanging out," Ava denied.  
"More like _going_ out," the popular girl grinned.  
"Seriously, Liz, knock it off," Ava sighed.  
"I don't see what the problem is! You were dating before, what's changed?" Liz questioned, frustrated.  
"... You wouldn't understand," the dark blonde muttered.  
"Fine, keep it to yourself. People at this school have a habit of finding out secrets, anyway," Liz grumbled.  
Peter smirked at this, seeing as they had yet to find out his biggest secret. He even saw the corners of Ava's lips rise at the comment. However, the conversation gave Peter more to think about than the ignorance of his fellow students. Ava _wasn't_ going out with Jake. The teen mulled over this new information for the remainder of the day.  
That evening, Peter, unsurprisingly, donned his red and blue costume before heading onto the crime-infested streets of New York. Unbeknownst to the masked vigilante, a certain grey-eyed teen was doing the exact same thing with her own ensemble. Ava climbed onto the roof of her building, after ensuring her grandmother's rest, and leapt off of the edge, letting her feathery wings do the job of traveling for her.  
Soon after leaving his home, Peter found trouble with a man dressed in black. Moving at the speed of sound, the dark figure vaulted around the alleys and streets of Queens without a second thought. Although Spidey was keeping up as best he could, our hero soon found himself alone above a tall corporate building.  
Ava swept the streets of petty criminals and degenerates before someone shot past her at amazing speed. Stupidly thinking it was Spider-man, the Firebird spread her wings and zoomed off in the same direction. The figure led her across parks and past streets until they reached an abandoned warehouse. He burst through the door and disappeared into the darkness. Ava was suffering from a mix of wheezing from the exercise, coughing from the dust and confusion from the chase, but through her bewilderment she was able to spot a shadow whizzing across the building.  
"Hello? I'm going to take a guess that you're not Spidey," she called out.  
"Spider-man? No, I'm much worse than that, Ava," a deep voice chuckled.  
"Ava? Who's that?" the Firebird queried.  
"There's no need to lie to me. We're all friends here," the voice said.  
"Yeah, I know. _All_ my friends lure me out into abandoned buildings and speak to me in a creepy voice from the shadows," Ava agreed sarcastically  
"You're not so spunky without that mask on, you know. Don't worry, I like it," the voice stated.  
"I _really_ wasn't worried. Now, why exactly did you lure me out here?"  
"Do you not recognize this place?" the voice questioned.  
Ava took a closer look at her surroundings. The floor was littered with dust and the walls were smothered in cobwebs but it was easy to see that it had once been a laboratory of some sort. It held a vague familiarity but the superhero was unable to place it.  
"Where are we?" she demanded.  
"So you don't remember. That's disappointing," the figure sighed.  
"I feel like if this was a book, it would be obvious who you are. Let me guess... Plot twist! You _are_ Spidey," the Firebird exclaimed.  
"Ava! Listen to me!" the voice boomed as the figure spring onto the rail of the second floor.  
The Firebird smirked at his ignorance and flung an arrow at the unsuspecting figure. He was barely able to dodge as the flame shot past his head. He snarled under his breath before diving at the masked teen. Before Ava could fire another shot, the man was upon her, pinning her to the floor.  
"Playing to my ego, eh? Good trick, little bird, but it's not enough. Nothing you can so is enough. I came here to warn you of the danger you're facing, but obviously there's no point. You won't be ready, even if we give you time to train," he growled.  
"Can you get off of me?" Ava spat.  
The man slunk back into the shadows of the building before chuckling.  
"You won't be ready, Ava Livingston, no matter how much you try," he cautioned mischievously.  
"Whatever you say, freak," Ava muttered as she darted out of the building, only to slam straight into someone else.  
"Ava? I mean, Firebird?" yet another voice questioned. Ava recognized him immediately.  
"We've gotta stop meeting like this," she smirked as she brushed herself off.  
Spidey helped the Firebird up. She stared at his expressionless mask intensely, not particularly surprised by his silence.  
"Peter, what's going on?" she asked.  
She was met with silence. Ava sighed exasperatedly and grabbed his hand.  
"Let's go somewhere private," she offered.  
"There's no one around, Ava," Peter finally pointed out. The Firebird grinned.  
"Yeah, but I want to try this anyway," she shrugged.  
Before Spider-man could open his mouth, Ava grabbed his shoulders and spread her vibrant wings. Finally realizing what she was about to do, Peter took in a breath to complain, but it was too late. The Firebird blasted into the air at full speed. Spidey shouted something, but it was incoherent due to the wind resistance. Ava flew gracefully over New York, the street lights as small as the stars above them. After attempting to bellow to his captor, Peter quietened, mainly silenced by the magnificent view Ava's ability to provided.  
Eventually, the two vigilantes began to lower and slow down until they came to a halt on top of a skyscraper that grazed the clouds.  
"Wow," Peter breathed as his feet touched the floor.  
"So, let's talk."


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello! I'm back from my holiday! It was fun, France is great this time of year. Anywho, on with the story, and thanks to all new reviewers, followers and favourites.**

 **Disclaimer: I own no Marvel characters in this story, only my OC's.**

 **Chapter 7 - 'The Talk'**

The two stood awkwardly above a tall, concrete building. Spidey had pulled back his mask a little and the Firebird had put away her wings. Spider-man opened his mouth.

"You've been... Distant lately," Peter started.

"I know, I'm sorry, but you weren't much different," Ava countered.

"Yeah, um, about that," he chuckled lightly, "I... Was jealous. Of Jake."

"Peter, I know I've been spending a lot of time with him recently, but it's only because we haven't seen each other in months, I left Washington in a hurry and we didn't really get a proper goodbye. I do like hanging out with you, Harry and Gwen but he reminds me of my life before I came to New York," Ava reasoned.

"Why did you leave Washington if you liked it there so much?" Peter queried curiously.

Ava was silent for a second. She looked away and Spidey regretted saying anything, afraid that she'd leave as she did when Gwen asked about her personal life before moving.

"You don't have to answer that, I-"

"My dad died."

"What?"

"Yeah," Ava let out a breathy laugh as her eyes became misty, "Four months ago. I only have two other relatives, my aunt and my grandmother, but my aunt is my mother's sister and she abandoned me when I was younger, so I chose to live here, with my dad's parent. When he died, my school life became miserable. Everyone looked at me with such pity and sitting with the popular group wasn't fun anymore. I became... Separated and I realized that they got on fine without me. Everyone knew me but I wasn't popular anymore," Ava explained as tears began to stream down her pale face, past her mask.

"H-How did he die?" Peter enquired hesitantly.

"He was attacked in some alley. It made me feel terrible about the Firebird. I could protect everyone else in Washington but what was the point if I couldn't save my only close family left?" she sobbed, "That's why I stopped crime fighting for a while. I only really started again because it made me even more depressed when I didn't use my powers. I felt cold all the time, no matter how close to fire I was."

Spider-man moved closer to the blonde in front of him and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. More drops began to tumble past her cheeks as she returned the embrace.

"I'm so sorry, Ava," he breathed as he buried his nose in her soft, straight hair.

"There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm happy here, in New York. I just wish my dad could've seen it too," she whispered.

"Do you want to go home? I can swing you over, return the favour," Peter grinned slightly after minutes of holding each other.

Ava untangled herself from the embrace and gave him a watery and weak smile before nodding her head. He slipped an arm around the girl's waist and sent a web zooming at a nearby building. After pulling it to ensure it's security, Peter leapt off of the edge and plummeted towards the concrete with Ava hanging from his neck. The web then bounced them back up again, causing the Firebird to gasp before giggling softly into his shoulder. As they began to fall again, Spidey released the string of webbing and shot another one towards a skyscraper. This pattern continued until they reached Ava's street. Peter then sent a web at the front of her building and pulled at the rope of white, sticky silk. They toppled gently onto her fire escape.

"Ava, honey, where are you?" a worried and old voice called from behind the window.

The dark blonde gasped and unhooked the frame, leaning in to quickly shout, "Coming, Grandma!" before quickly turning back to Spidey with a kind smile.

"Thanks for the ride, Spider-man," Ava said softly.

"Just paying you back, Firebird," he chuckled.

"And thank you for cheering me up. It felt good to talk to someone about..." she continued gratefully.

"You can talk to me about anything, Ava. I hope you know that."

"I'll keep it in mind. See you tomorrow."

Peter grinned and waved as she clambered into the cosy room and slid the window shut, leaving him alone in the cold night air. He watched as she pulled back her mask and closed the curtains.

* * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, Ava once again became closer to Peter and his friends, much to the distaste of Jake, Liz and Flash. She even visited Gwen's house.

"And your dad didn't mind?" Harry asked, astounded.

"Just because he's the commissioner, doesn't mean he's distrustful of everyone. Just you two, because you act irresponsibly," Gwen smirked.

" _Irresponsibly?"_ Peter repeated in feign offense.

"Well, neither of you attend any clubs, Peter, you always leaves abruptly and he thinks the Osborn family isn't to be trusted. Can you blame him?" Gwen shrugged, "He can't seem to find an obvious fault in Ava, apart from a little shyness."

"Where is she, anyway?" Harry enquired.

"Keeping the popular group at bay. I swear, if Ava didn't keep her occupied every now and then, Liz would be at our throats," Gwen chuckled.

"Is Jake with her?" Peter immediately asked.

"Well, they went to watch football practice. Put two and two together, Pete," she rolled her eyes.

The brunet suddenly stood up and began to hurry out of the cafeteria. Harry and Gwen quickly followed.

"Don't you think it's a little... _Creepy_ that you feel the need to watch Ava whenever she's with Jake? They are old friends after all," Harry pointed out.

"More than old friends," Peter corrected, "And no. I don't trust him."

"Oh, I wonder why," Harry mumbled as they stepped onto the field.

"Not like that, Harry. It's just... You wouldn't understand," Peter muttered.

In all honesty, a certain Spidey sense was informing Peter that something wasn't quite right about the sandy blonde. Sure, his laid back personality and jock build made him irritating and Ava's past relationship ensured their lack of friendship, but Peter felt that there was something more about Jacob Sheehan than meets the eye, even that of a bird or spider. As the trio reached the bleachers, they watched the football team, including Jake and Flash, running a lap. Gwen spotted Liz and Ava sitting on the plastic seats near the front. The bleachers weren't particularly crowded, but the three struggled to find a seat close enough to eavesdrop on the girls' conversation but far enough not to be seen.

"Woo! Go Flash!" Liz cheered as they started a practice game.

"Hey, Liz, not that I don't _love_ watching football practice with you, but I have other things to-"

"Like what? Hang out with the nerds?" Liz mocked.

"Better than hanging out with a bunch of stupid jocks," Ava muttered.

Liz opened her mouth to retort buy slowly closed it when she realized she had no response. Gwen snorted.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," Ava sighed.

"Sure seemed like it. Look, Ava, you can hang out with us if you want or you can hang out with _them._ Just make sure you make the right decision because we will _not_ welcome you back," Liz warned bitterly.

"Liz, I don't think that's-"

"No, seriously. You can choose who you want to be friends with, just don't expect to be welcomed in both," the popular girl humphed.

Everyone was silent for a minute as they watched Ava quietly fuming. Finally, she stood up.

"Ok, I choose _them,"_ the blonde declared and stormed off.

Liz looked flabbergasted but slowly became more and more furious.

"Fine! I don't care!" she yelled at the retreating figure.

When there was no response, Liz plopped into her seat once more and folded her arms indignantly.

"Um, Pete? If Ava is looking for us, we should probably go back inside," Harry advised.

Peter nodded, still shocked from the events he had just witnessed. Gwen nudged him and the brunet was broken from his trance.

"We better hurry," he muttered.

 **Hope you enjoyed! If you didn't, leave a polite review telling me why not!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy. By the way, I don't really care how much hate I get for the quality of this story because as long as a single person is still enjoying it, I'm going to continue writing it.**

 **Disclaimer - I own no Marvel characters used in this story, only my OC's.**

 **Chapter 8 - The Awkward Question**

When the trio arrived back at their usual table, Ava was already waiting. She smiled at them as if nothing had happened and gestured them over.

"Hey guys!" she greeted merrily.

"Hi Ava, are you alright?" Harry asked.

"Fine. Better than I've felt in a while actually. Um, Peter? Can I talk to you for a moment?" the dark blonde queried nervously.

"Sure."

The two walked out into the corridor next to the cafeteria and Ava swivelled around to look at him. She was blushing slightly and her eyes were frantically trying to look anywhere except his face.

"Are you sure you're ok, Ava?" Peter repeated Harry's question.

"I'm _fin_ e, Pete. I just... Uhm... Well," she stuttered, before sighing, "Will you go out with me?"

The question shocked the teen, who did a double take and stared curiously into her eyes. His blush was now as strong as hers and there was an awkward silence as he tried to find the words. As he did, Ava misinterpreted his pause and shook her head quickly.

"N-Nevermind. It's fine, I didn't... It wasn't-"

"Ava, I'd love to go on a date with you," Peter decided softly. The blonde's eyes widened and her smile immediately brightened.

"Great! You can come round at 8, tonight, unless you have other plans. Because that's fine. I can-" she rambled.

"8 tonight sounds perfect," Peter smiled.

Grinning uncontrollably, the two returned to their friends before the bell rung and the swarms of students dissipated. The pair shared a small glance before rushing off to their next class.

* * *

That evening, Ava tied her hair into an intricate bun and slipped on a short, red dress with a silver waisteband. The material was like red satin, billowing around her thighs softly but clinging to her torso comfortably. A matching red pair of heels sat in the corner of her room, waiting to support the teen when she left. Ava's make up consisted of dark red lipstick, a hint of blush and an almost invisible brush of light red eyeshadow, combined with a thick black line painted expertly on the tips of her eyelids.

"Where did you say you were going, dear?" her grandmother called from another room.

"I'm just going to a new restaurant. Don't worry, I'll be back before midnight," Ava replied.

Mrs Livingston seemed satisfied with this answer and returned to whatever she was previously doing. The blonde teen then snatched a scarlet clutch and filled it with necessities. As she finished, the doorbell rang. After stepping into her elegant shoes, Ava hurried to the door and opened it to see Peter with a single white rose. When he saw her outfit, he breathed in sharply before grinning.

"I knew I should've gotten a red one," he sighed in mock disappointment as he handed over the flower.

"Aw, don't worry, I could always paint it red," Ava suggested, giggling slightly.

The girl quickly glided to the kitchen and placed the rose in a vase before filling the bottom with water and gently setting the decoration on the dining room table.

"Are you ready?" Peter enquired.

Ava nodded fervently.

 **Sorry it's so short! I'm kind of drained of inspiration right now. I promise it'll be long next time! If you liked it, please follow, favourite and review, it really means a lot to get a nice one! If you didn't and you are planning to swear in your review, please keep your thoughts to yourself. If you didn't like it but don't feel the need to swear to get your point across, please review politely with constructive criticism.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello! Ok, so I finally finished. You'd expect it to be longer seeing as it took so long but sorry, normal length. Anyways, the restaurant in this chapter is from my other story and that entire scene is actually happening at the same time as a chapter from that story. If you like the Avengers and want an Iron Man x OC fanfic to read, check it out!**

 **Ciao means hello/goodbye in Italian, btw.  
**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Spidey universe or Marvel, only my OCs.**

 **Chapter 9 - Central Park and La Volpe Rossa**

The date started with the two walking down the road awkwardly. As usual, Peter was a little nervous and Ava merely didn't know what to say. Eventually, they reached the edge of Central Park and Peter stopped, smiling broadly as he turned. They had decided earlier in the afternoon that the brunet was to choose the entertainment before the blonde's choice of food.

"Uh, Peter? What are we doing?" Ava questioned unsurely.

"Oh, right! Well, I saved up a little money and I thought we could... If you wanted to... Wanna go on a carriage ride through Central Park?" he asked anxiously.

"Sure, Peter. I'd love to," she giggled, "And remember that I'm the one who asked _you_ out. I planned dinner."

"Right. Well, it should be just through here," Peter guided his date through the park gates and approached a magnificent, traditional carriage.

Ava gasped in awe at it's beauty. It was polished and wooden with decorative markings carved into the side and smooth, metal wheels supporting its weight. A smiling man sat in the front, holding lead ropes that were wound around two gorgeous horses, who stood ready and waiting. Peter spoke to the man for a few seconds before helping Ava into the carriage. She quickly shuffled along to give her date room. Once they were comfy, the horses began to trot at a slow but tranquil speed, giving the two the time to fully relish in the natural wonder of Central Park, as well as it's man-made decorations.

"So, Peter, where'd you get your powers from?" she queried.

"Oh well," Peter laughed, "It's a long story. Basically, radioactive spider at Osborn Industries. I was on a school trip. How about you?"

"Mine would probably be unoriginal if it weren't true. I was kidnapped when I was younger and experimented on. I finally escaped but when I told the police, the company that had done it was already in ruins. I have no idea what happened but, frankly, I don't want to," Ava sighed, "Still, I suppose I'm grateful. It's better that I suffered and can now save others than having lived a privileged life and never helped anyone."

"Tell me something personal. Something barely anyone knows."

Ava thought for a moment. She wasn't very open about a lot of things. In fact, ever since her dad's passing she hasn't said much about herself to anyone. Finally, she thought of something that made her giggle.

"What?" Peter smiled.

"Nothing. It's kind of embarrassing. Or mortifying. And incredibly stupid," Ava laughed.

"I seriously doubt it. I promise I won't laugh," Peter raised an eyebrow.

"I... Love classical music. I mean, I love a lot of music of all genres but I just find classic music so intelligent and cultured," Ava explained rapidly, "That's actually where the Firebird got her identity. A ballet by the same name by Igor Stravinsky."

"Wow! I'm... Surprised," Peter hesitated.

"Yeah," she laughed, "It's not something I tell a lot of people. It was my parents who showed them to me when I was young and I know it's strange but it reminds me of when we were a happy family... Before..."

"I get it. It actually makes a lot of sense," he shrugged.

"You-you don't think it's weird?" Ava tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Not at all. You can like what you want, I'm not one to judge."

The girl smiled and inched slightly closer, leaning her head on his shoulder comfortably. After the ride was over, Ava grabbed Peter's hand and coaxed him out of the carriage, thanking the driver as they walked away. The ride lasted about half an hour, drawing to a serene end as they were dropped off on the other side of the public sight.

"Where to next?" Peter queried.

"There's this new Italian restaurant that's been really popular lately. I thought we could go," Ava explained.

"Sounds good, let's go," he nodded as he paid the driver.

The two continued to a small, welcome restaurant with fancy writing labelled ' _La Volpe Rossa'_ above the windows. Entering the door caused a sudden wave of warm, cheerful atmosphere and a combination of mouthwatering smells to attack the two's senses. Ava almost quietly moaned in delight when a woman with tanned skin and blonde hair approached them.

"Ciao, welcome to La Volpe Rossa! I am Maria, your waitress, do you have a reservation?" she greeted kindly, though her eyes strayed to a table at the back of the room more than once.

"Um yes, actually, under Livingston?"

Maria turned to a simple computer and typed in the name. After finding the reservation, she smiled and guided them to a table by the window, still eyeing the large group at the back. There seemed to be about 8 of them, all squashed into a single booth. They were chatting lightly, but Maria's glances suggested something else. Ava pushed it to the back of her mind and turned to Peter, who was observing the interior.

"It has a great ambience, don't you think?" he murmured.

"Definitely, it's so busy and yet it's not at all crowded," she agreed.

"Plus, the food smells amazing," Peter grinned.

"Shall I get you your drinks now?" Maria questioned.

"Sure. I'll have a coke," the brunet ordered.

"Just water for me, thanks."

The waitress nodded and hurried through a door that all of the waiters streamed in and out of.

"Have you ever had Italian food before?" Peter queried.

"My Dad and I went out a lot. We tried a lot of food, but Italian was always one of my favorites," Ava answered honestly, with a smile tugging at her mouth, "What about you?"

"I've only ever had it once, a really long time ago. It was funny because my aunt and uncle ordered dishes with really long and elegant names and I just ordered ravioli," he chuckled, causing his date to giggle slightly as well.

"What about this time? Still ravioli or maybe something a bit more exotic?" she asked.

"I dunno," he shrugged, "Maybe the meatballs?"

"I think I'll have the Cannellini and Panvetta soup," she decided.

Maria soon returned and took their orders before walking to a family who had arrived at the entrance.

"So, apart from the opera and the Firebird, what do you do outside of school?" Peter asked.

"Well, I love my grandmother's dog, Ichigo. She's adorable and I walk her every other day. Apart from that and homework, I don't really have time for much. I used to hang out with friends a lot, but I dropped that hobby when I moved," she recounted before whispering, "What does Spidey do in his spare time?"

"I love science, that's how I was able to develop the webs. Apart from that, there isn't much that I have time to do."

They continued to talk for hours, after they received their food, their desserts, their bill and didn't stop as they wandered down the New York streets, that were almost clear of their usual buzz. When they arrived at Ava's apartment building, which was closer to the restaurant than Peter's house, they stopped. By this time, the moon was shining brightly in the sky, a distinct contrast from the dark, velvety sky it stood against. The two didn't move an inch as they stared into each other's eyes, utterly mesmerized. Finally, Ava blinked and smiled slightly.

"This is my stop, I guess," she announced, turning her gaze to the concrete skyscraper beside them.

"Yeah," her date grinned, also breaking his stare.

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Peter," the dark blonde promised, "Maybe we can do this again sometime?"

"Definitely," Peter agreed, with an overpowering certainty in his voice.

There was a silent moment as Ava hesitated to enter the front door. Peter was torn between making a move or leaving the evening be. The girl sighed and reached the entrance, but abruptly turned and gently brushed her lips against his. It lasted only for a few seconds but both teens felt the heat rise to their cheeks as a tingling sensation surged through their bodies. As Ava pulled away, she leaned into his ear.

"Goodnight, Peter," she whispered before darting into the building, leaving her date enthralled on the doorstep.

 **Yeah, so sorry that took so long. Hope you liked it, anyway. Follow and favourite if you do, leave some polite constructive criticism if not.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone, sincere apologies for my absence, I was suffering from procrastination and writer's block. Anyway, I'm back now! Thank you to anyone who followed, favourited or reviewed!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing from Marvel, only my own OCs.**

 **Chapter 10 - Jake's Not Happy**

Rays of sun pushed through Ava's window as the girl slept, lightening the dark room and readying her for the morning ahead. Of course, this wasn't what woke her up. What woke her up was the shrill singing of her alarm clock. Begrudgingly, the blonde sat up and slammed her fist onto the devilish device, almost breaking it in the process. Ava gradually stood up and went about her daily routine, ending with the breakfast of herself and her grandmother, who was also slow to wake.

"So how was last night?" the old woman asked slyly.

"It was great, actually. I better be-"

"Did you go with that boy who was at the door?"

"Um, yes. Shouldn't you have been in bed?" Ava countered steadily.

"I just wanted to see who your new boyfriend is-"

"I gotta go, meeting Gwen early, bye!" the teen shouted as she darted to the door.

As soon as the door was slammed shut, Mrs Livingston burst out into uncontrollable laughter, something that Ava unfortunately heard from the hallway and flushed about until she arrived at the school. As she entered the building, the girl was immediately greeted by a certain sandy blonde, who wore a bemused frown as if it were second nature.

"Oh, hey Jake," Ava muttered uncomfortably.

"Ava, I heard you had an argument with Liz. Is everything ok?" he asked gently.

"Everything's fine but, I don't really want to hang out with you guys anymore. Sorry."

There was moment of silence as Jake's face fell even further into unhappiness. _Maybe that was a little blunt,_ Ava thought, biting her lip worriedly. She began to open her mouth to speak again, but the teen in front of her got there first.

"But we've always hung out together. I don't understand, what's changed?"

"I'm sorry, but if being friends with you and Flash and Liz means I can't be friends with anyone else... I just don't think that that is a true friendship. Jake, you're a great guy, but when it comes to friends, you'll always go for the jocks. I'm tired of that lifestyle, I'd much rather like people for who they are, not what they can do," Ava shrugged, "Athletes are great, but I don't even play a sport. It's kind of boring."

"Who else do you have, then, Ava?" Jake suddenly snapped, "Those nerds that Liz is always complaining about? They don't understand you, only _I_ do!"

"Calm down, I'm sorry but-"

"You're sorry," Jake repeated, laughing with cold spite, "Yeah, whatever you say. I should've known that you'd do this. I moved here for you!"

There was another pause. The boy suddenly groaned and slapped his palm to his head as Ava's eyes widened. She moved to touch his arm, but he stepped back. They shared a look before he stormed off in another direction, fury evident in each step.

"Ava? Is everything ok?" a voice queried and said girl turned around to see Gwen with worry in her eyes.

"I'm fine, Gwen," she lied, a watery smile consuming her face.

"If you want to talk about it-"

"No, really, everything's alright."

Gwen opened her mouth to reply, but Ava spun around and hurried away before another word could be said. The light blonde shook her head in worry and turned to attend her own class. Ava soon recovered from her confrontation and entered her homeroom calmly. It took a while for Peter to come bursting in. He grinned at her as their eyes met and hurried to his seat, completely ignoring the warning from their teacher.

"Hey, Ava," he greeted, the smile not leaving his face.

"Hi Peter, how was your morning?"

"Relatively uneventful. Well, I may have been webbing a thief to an alleyway wall, but that's-"

"The definition of uneventful to Spiderman?" the girl couldn't contain a knowing smile, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Peter let out a short laugh before a glower from Mrs Smith silenced him.

"How about the Firebird? Was she out this morning?" he asked, his voice lower as he noticed a sandy blonde watching them irritably. Ava seemed to notice too.

"I... Haven't seen her yet today. Something a little more... Unfortunate happened earlier. If you've seen Gwen, she might've mentioned it," she shrugged.

"I haven't seen her since yesterday. What happened?"

"Jake blew up, I don't know why. He's normally so, I don't know, casual. It's really unlike him to be so angry," she muttered.

"Well, I can understand why," Peter muttered, uncomfortable from the glare that was burning into his head.

"I still want to be friends with him, even if we aren't going back to the way things were before," Ava shook her head, "I didn't even tell him about us but I suppose he guessed from what Liz has been saying."

The bell rang before Peter could respond and the class shoved their way through the small exit to their next lesson. Ava smiled and waved as she was pulled through. The brunet quickly navigated his way to his next class, but when he was only a few paces away, he was roughly slammed into a wall of lockers.

"You've ruined _everything,_ you know that, Parker? I'm gonna make your life a living hell," Jake threatened lividly.

Peter, caught unawares, was unable to splutter out an answer and found that his Spider strength was all but lost against the jock, whose grip was inescapable. Finally, he let go and moved back, letting Peter slip to the ground slowly before scrambling to his feet. Jake stalked off, but his strength stuck in Peter's mind. He had never come across a bully who could force him against a wall like that since he had been bitten.

* * *

It was late and our two favourite heroes were scowering the city for problems to solve. Peter sat on the head of a gargoyle, letting his Spidey sense do the work for him as Ava, her makeshift wings flapping on either side, merely stared out into the labyrinth of roads, alleyways and backstreets.

"Hey, Ava, how strong would you say Jake is?" Spiderman questioned delicately.

"He's a great football player so I guess he's gotta be fit. Why?"

"Well, it's just... Today, at school, he kind of... He tried to intimidate me and..."

"Woah, is that Doctor Octopus?" Ava interrupted suddenly.

"Wait, what? What's he up to _now_?" Peter groaned.

"There's only one way to find out," the Firebird grinned, swooping down from the tall building Spidey was perched on and calling, "Race you!"

The conversation clearly forgotten by both participants, the two flew and swung their way to the empty park where Otto Octavius was stomping. He held something in one of his clamps and was too busy muttering about something to notice their presence. Ava motioned something to her partner in crime-fighting and he nodded. Spiderman began to run forward, straight in the direction of the villain. This was swiftly followed by the Firebird's descent into the air. She hovered above the ground as she accelerated and picked up Peter by grabbing his shoulders. Refusing to slow down, Ava shot across the park like a bullet before coming to a sharp halt. As she stopped, Spiderman was flung through the air and, extending his leg, kicked Doctor Octopus in the back.

Yanked out of his untidy thoughts and pushed face first onto the damp grass, he growled. His mechanic arms were soon to adapt to the situation and raised their master off of the dirt promptly. Finally able to gather a view of his attackers, Ocatvius' scowl became even deeper.

"Don't frown like that, Otto, you might get wrinkles," Peter advised, "Although maybe it's a bit too late for that. This is the Firebird, by the way, she's my sidekick."

"Um, excuse me, Spiderman, but we are equal partners in all this. If anything, I can kick ass twice as hard as you," Ava declared.

"I know who you are, Firebird!" Octavous spat.

"Excuse me, we were having a private conversation, Octopus, wait your turn," Peter reprimanded.

"Wait, what do you mean 'you know who I am'?" Ava asked.

"I am currently working with some people who are _very_ interested in you, Firebird," Otto informed, "I'm not planning to release any details seeing as they want it to be a surprise but be ready for anything."

With that, the criminal picked up whatever it was that he had dropped behind him before Peter could shoot a web at it and scurried at an astonishing rate into an alley. The two heroes were quick to follow but the layer of darkness that the space provided left them befuddled as to where he could've gone. Especially since a thug immediately stepped out of the shadows to greet them. The Firebird sent a flame at her arm, but the woman was quick to dodge and raced past them both out into the park again.

Spiderman grabbed her ankle with a web and pulled, causing her to fall on the blades of grass beneath her. Hurrying to her feet, she was then bombarded by a flaming punch and sent to the pavement beneath a lamp post. Peter surrounded her with web as she stood once again and Ava sent a ball of inferno at the web, causing it to melt and stick in position. The woman struggled and cried for help, but she was left relatively unharmed. Peter then attached the cocoon of cool, hardened web to the head of the post.

"He got away," Ava announced.

"Thanks for that, Captain Obvious," Peter replied.

"What's next on the agenda?"

"Well, tonight seems pretty slow so I'm gonna say... Sleep. See ya!"

"Um, are we not going to talk about what Doc Oc just said? He's working with an organization who are probably out to kill me!"

"He was probably just making stuff up to stall us, they do that stuff all the time," Peter comforted, though he was planning to research the villain's moves as soon as he returned home.

"I guess... I'll see you tomorrow, Pete," Ava sighed, before sprinting and lifting off into the air.

 **What's up with Jake? What was Octopus talking about? Why do I ask questions, to spawn doubts in your uncertain minds, maybe? Politely review about what you liked, how I could improved, if you missed me? ;)**

 **I'll be away for another two weeks, sorry! Follow and favourite if you enjoyed, though!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ok, so not my finest time space... Kinda got writer's block... My fault, I'll say no more...**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anyone from Marvel, just the plot and my OC are mine.**

 **Chapter 11 - Yet Another Speed Bump**

Later that night, or more, earlier that morning, Peter sat at his computer with fueled determination and ready eyes. His fingers raced across the keyboard as he searched for any news relating to Doctor Octopus from the last few months. There was little to find - no involvements with any large corporations and little crime apart from petty thefts to his name - but he only gave up when the sun began to reach its horizon. He began to search for anti-superhero organisations but, again, found nothing. Reluctantly deciding to get a few hours sleep before school, the vigilante shut down his computer and clambered into bed.  
He arrived at school feeling exhausted and frustrated. He had no results and therefore knew nothing about the people that were plotting to attack Ava. The first person Spidey met up with was Gwen, who approached with a slight frown and baffled eyes.

"Hi Gwen, what's up?"

"Hey Peter. It's nothing. Have you spoken to Ava today?"

Peter grinned inwardly despite himself. _Technically_ he had seen the Firebird today as they had been up in the earliest hours fighting crime, but he shook his head.

"Have you?" he retorted.

"Yeah, just a little while ago. She's in a strange mood, something is troubling her," Gwen bit her lip, "Is she failing a class or something?"

"I..." Peter stared into the concerned eyes of his best friend, "She's probably fine. It's early, she'll lighten up."

"I'm not so sure..."

"I'll talk to her during homeroom, ask her what's wrong," Peter assured, just as the bell rang.

"I'll see you, Pete."

She trudged off towards her own classroom as Peter hurried in. Ava was already sat, looking sullen, but smiled when he joined her.

"Hey!" she greeted brightly.

"Hi, are you alright?" Peter asked uncertainly.

The grin fell slightly and she turned her eyes away from him.

"I'm fine."

When she turned to face him again, her fake smile was plastered onto her face again, though her eyes didn't seem to match it.

"What's wrong?" Peter asked quietly.

"Nothing," she replied, a little too quickly.

"Ava..."

The smile collapsed completely into a morose frown and she turned her head yet again.

"Is someone after me?" she questioned, still facing away from him, "Is someone trying to kill me?"

"I don't know yet, Ava, but don't worry about it. We're going to find out and stop them before they can do anything," he promised.

"Peter, I don't think it's that easy. Doctor Octopus... What he said, it just seems so... He seemed so certain. He looked as if they'd already won, whoever they are."

"You don't have to worry about it," Peter repeated, "You'll be fine, you can protect yourself and I'm here to defend you as well."

The bell rang to signal first period and Ava grabbed her books, biting her lip.

"I think I want to distance myself a bit. From everyone. Just so that, you know, no one else gets hurt."

Peter scoffed at this and Ava's watery eyes hardened. She picked up her bag and scowled at him.

"Sorry I want to protect my friends," she hissed, blinking back tears. Peter realized his mistake and reached out a hand, which Ava shrugged off of her shoulder.

"No, Ava, I didn't mean it like that," he tried but she had already darted into the filling corridors.

He sighed and grabbed his own bag, running after her without much hope. Despite the proximity of their seats in quite a few lessons, Ava was able to ignore the boy for the rest of the day, though she looked slightly guilty about it. After school, she had dashed around the corner before Peter could even finish calling her name. He slumped onto the low wall in defeat.

"Trouble in paradise?" a familiar voice mocked.

Peter glanced up to see Jake with a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. He stood up quickly.

"Don't see why it's any of your business," Peter spat.

"It's my business because I was right. She would have been happier staying with me," he replied proudly.

"Maybe Ava left you because of your arrogant personality? Or maybe it was the low levels of intelligence? Ever think of that?" Peter narrowed his eyes,"Every relationship has... Speed bumps."

"Speed bumps," Jake repeated with a bark of laughter, "I think it's more than that."

There was a single second as their eyes met. The jock's expression was so knowing, so superior, that Peter, in that moment, doubted the ignorance of the boy more than anyone else in the entire city. The moment was over before he could fully register what had happened and Jake had began to stomp off. Peter tightened his fists and stormed off.

* * *

A flash of golden scarlet zoomed across the roofs of countless buildings. Ava wasn't very determined that night, nor was she really in the mood for fighting crime, but she couldn't think of anything else to keep her mind from turning to her vigilante partner, and sifting through the darkness of a night-consumed city was enough work to clear her head. There was a sudden movement in the alley between two buildings and Ava decided to investigate. She leapt from the roof and spread her wings to lessen the fall damage as he feet slammed onto the top of a dumpster.

She squinted while searching the shadows for her possible opponent. Abruptly, a body collided with her own and she was thrown against the wall with brutal force. She cried out and leant against the wall for support as she faced her attacker. He wore all black in a slightly ninja style, but with a more ambiguous touch, there were no decorations and it wasn't made from a strange fabric. It was plain. Ava heated up her hand and clenched it into a fist, pushing off the layer of bricks with her other hand and lunging at him.

He dodged her punch and pushed her away by forcing the bottom of his palm against her cheek. As she stumbled back, the Firebird tasted a trickle of blood filling her mouth. He took the opportunity of her distraction to kick her in the stomach and she crumpled to the floor, coughing and spluttering. She struggled to breathe and had no more energy to start a flame. There was a thud from before her and Ava looked up to see a figure donned in red and blue.  
Through blurry eyes, the Firebird watched him shoot a web at the stranger's hand. It was forced against the wall and the stranger began to tug on it frantically. Spider-man advanced and attacked. He had planted quite a few good hits when the stranger grabbed Spidey's head with two hands, pushing it down as he leapt onto his back and made a dive for the dumpster to escape. Though slightly dazed, Peter was able to turn and snatch his legs, forcing his body to the ground and resting a firm foot on his stomach. Peter turned to his partner.

"P- Spider-man," Ava spluttered as she tried to stand and ended up leaning agaisnt the wall again for support, "What are you doing here?"  
"Saving your life, by the looks of it," Ava could tell he was grinning from behind the mask.

There was a moment when the only noise was the stranger's struggling. They both glanced down at him and he stilled a bit. Spider-man attempted to rip of his mask but it seemed skin tight, like trying to rip off a human face. Spidey backed up, though his foot was still pressed on his stomach. The stranger began to laugh manically.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Peter murmured.

"Me?" he snickered, "I'm not doing anything wrong! Just claiming back my property."

"Property?" Ava spat, "I don't even know who the hell you are, how am I supposed to _belong_ to you?"

The laughter stopped and the man was still beneath Spider-man's heel. The Firebird lighted a hand in caution. The man began to point wildly to her.

"I invested in that!" he screamed, "I paid for it!"

"What the hell-" Peter started, but the man was somehow able to escape from beneath him and scaled the side of a building speedily.

"Wait!" Ava attempted to sprint into flight but the alley was too narrow and she could barely stop herself before crashing into the wall.

"Great!" she growled under her breath.

"Hey, are you alright?" Spidey asked, concerned, "You took quite a beating there."

"Thanks," Ava replied sarcastically, though there was a small grin playing at her lips, "I hadn't noticed. What are you doing here, anywhere?"

"A simple 'thanks' would be sufficient enough," Peter laughed nervously.

"Were you following me?"

"Um," he rubbed the back of his head and looked down, "...Maybe?"

Ava was about to say something, but stopped herself. She shouldn't be angry, he was just worried about her, though he had laughed at her will to protect her friends that morning. She frowned.

"Well, thank you, but I think I'm ok now," she muttered.

"I can take you home, if you want," Spider-man offered.

"I can fly, Spidey," the Firebird reminded, gesturing to her wings.

"Wait!" he reached for her arm and and clasped it gently, "I just want to apologize for this morning. I didn't mean to offend you, it's just that I've been in similar situations and, trust me, distancing yourself from your friends isn't the answer."

"Oh..." Ava looked away guiltily, "I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain."

"It's alright," Peter replied, relieved.

"Well, I should probably be heading back," she sighed, "See you tomorrow."

"A-actually," Spidey stuttered suddenly, "I was wondering... I mean, you don't have to, it's just an idea..."

"What is it?"

"Would you like to... To come around my house to research? Your past, I mean. See if we can find anything about what happened to you."

"I'd love to," Ava smiled sweetly.

 **Sorry if it's a little short, I haven't written this one in a while. The next chapter will probably be longer.**


End file.
